


Small Surprises

by thefrogg



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Genre: Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-20
Updated: 2012-12-20
Packaged: 2017-11-21 18:10:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/600667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefrogg/pseuds/thefrogg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hiccup never expected Toothless to hog the covers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Small Surprises

**Author's Note:**

  * For [billtheradish](https://archiveofourown.org/users/billtheradish/gifts).



> This is roughly two years post-movie, but doesn't include the cartoon.

Hiccup shivered with cold, clutching at a blanket that wasn't there, and rolled over to throw an arm over Toothless' shoulder, a gesture that would normally get a wing thrown over him in a curtain of warmth.

His elbow struck the thin mattress covering his sleeping platform instead, jarring him awake.

"Toothless? Huh..." He mumbled incoherently, rubbing his eyes with the back of a wrist and blinked blearily through the darkness. Coals burnt a dull cherry in the grate-covered hearth, outlining everything in shadow.

Toothless gave an answering thrum, a sound of sleepy, welcoming contentment.

"That's weird," Hiccup murmured to himself. Toothless sounded muffled, almost buried. "Toothless?"

Toothless gave another wordless hum, still muffled, and Hiccup gave up, swinging himself off their bed.

"Okay, what's going on?" The question was idle, rhetorical, and Toothless knew well enough not to answer as Hiccup stumbled to the hearth, opening the grate and tossing enough kindling and smaller pieces of wood in to build up the fire, then carefully lit a torch and looked around.

It wasn't the house he'd grown up in. Toothless had been borderline too big for it when he'd first been allowed inside, and had grown another few handspans since; not too much larger, but big enough to necessitate a larger domicile, especially since he insisted on being with Hiccup whenever possible.

This house, though? This house was larger, almost cavernous: broad sleeping platform rather than a bed, large enough for Toothless to curl up next to Hiccup (and Astrid, when she decided to make their relationship official); thick supports strong enough to support the house and Toothless both; locking cabinets for storage and Hiccup's drafting table, now covered with Hiccup's blankets.

Wait. 

Not just Hiccup's blankets, but the rug from in front of the fire, and--was that Astrid's--

"Toothless, what are you doing?!" 

The sound that came back was a fond insult, affectionate and inviting, accompanied by a rustle of cloth and a blunt nose poking out of the blanket curtain over the front edge of the drafting table.

"There you are." Hiccup went to his knees, torch in his farther hand, and just missed brushing that scaly nose. "What are you doing in there? Okay, okay. Just let me--" and he slid the torch handle into the wall bracket before carefully tugging the edge of one blanket enough out of the way to crawl beneath the table.

Toothless jaws tugged him over to one side, steamy breath at the back of his neck making him shiver. The makeshift tent felt like being wrapped in Toothless' wings, hot and possessive, protective and safe. "Is there a reason you've stolen every blanket--"

Toothless chirred and nudged at him, until he could see, in the dim light from the torch bleeding through the crack between wall and table, the two glistening shapes curled beneath a wing, tucked up against Toothless' belly.

***

The knock at the door came as if from far away, repeated several times. It was the calling of his name that woke him from the haze of awe and wonder he'd slipped into.

"Hiccup, are you okay?" Astrid called through the door. "Your fire's nearly out and--"

"It's okay, you can come in," Hiccup called back, barely raising his voice; Toothless just swiped her tongue over the back of one of her offspring.

Hiccup couldn't see the door, could barely see anything though his eyes had long adjusted to the gloom; it creaked slowly on its hinges.

"Hiccup? Why's it so dark--where _are_ you? Everyone's getting worried--"

"In here, Astrid." Toothless breathed against his scalp, crooning as Hiccup rubbed gentle fingers over the bumps where wings would grow, offered fingers to be gnawed on.

"Hiccup, what's--" Astrid cut herself off with a surprised _"Oh!"_ as she tugged the blanket out of the way.

Hiccup felt Toothless shift above him, the side of her jaw sliding against his ear, one earflap curling possessively around the back of his head, but she didn't object to Astrid's presence as she eased into the cocooning warmth of the makeshift cave.

"You're a-- _mom!"_ Astrid's voice was just as awestruck as Hiccup's had been hours earlier, as it was now when turned toward Toothless. Just as Hiccup had stopped himself from saying the same thing, stopped himself from the _"You're a girl!"_ that was so obvious now. "They're--they're beautiful," she added a moment later, pulling herself in far enough to let the blanket fall shut, to tuck her legs beneath her.

"They are, aren't they?" Hiccup looked stunned, the same expression on his face that a few of the men wore the first time they saw their own newborns.

Toothless werbled a soft agreement and huffed, blowing Astrid's hair askew.

Glancing repeatedly at Toothless for permission, Astrid caressed the curve of one tiny jaw, letting out a surprised, adoring sigh as the infant wound a tiny earflap around her fingers. "Have you named them yet?" she whispered.

"Of-of course not, it's only been--I don't even know--" His stomach growled loudly in complaint.

"It's after lunch time, and you obviously haven't eaten. And neither has Toothless, I bet. You stay here, honorary dad, I'll go take care of it--"

"Astrid, I can--you don't have to--"

"Hush, you, of course I don’t have to. Doesn’t mean you can stop me. Besides, do you really think Toothless is going to let you leave? I didn’t call you honorary dad just because it’s _funny."_ Astrid glared, only reluctantly pulling away from the baby Night Fury to cross her arms stubbornly.

Hiccup couldn't say a thing; it was only the truth. He and Toothless were nigh inseparable, he--she--had bonded so close, not like the others; the larger dragons had their favorites, but would accept attention and care from anyone who showed it to them, but Toothless--

Toothless only tolerated others, and that grudgingly. She was less _pet_ than _partner,_ and made it clear who she'd work with, sometimes painfully so.

“Astrid--” Hiccup tried to protest anyways.

Toothless cut him off, licking a wet stripe up Astrid’s cheek and making her squirm and laugh and lean back, almost falling out of the blanket cave as she protested the attentions, wiping at her face with the back of a wrist.

“Toothless! Ewww...”

“You’re the one who offered--”

“Yeah, yeah, I have my marching orders.” Astrid backed out of the cave, straightening the ‘wall’ before the door shut gently behind her.

~~~

“Hiccup?” Astrid eased her way into the house, trying not to startle Toothless, what with a tray piled high with fish for Toothless and a hearty lunch for Hiccup.

Nothing, not even a mutter or werbling sound from under the drafting table.

Frowning, Astrid set the tray on one of Toothless’ platforms and knelt down by the entrance to the dragon’s ‘cave,’ tugging the blanket to one side.

“You guys--girls--whatever, you get some sleep,” she murmured, smiling softly at Hiccup, sprawled back against Toothless’ shoulder, her head draped over his chest and two infant dragons nestled in his lap.

A faint whistling snore followed her out the door.


End file.
